Not long after early men hit each other with fists, they picked up the first weapon, a stick.
Typically when I talk about weapon use, it takes the logical progressing of selection, carry, deployment and use. For early man, the idea of selecting the perfect stick was more simplified than it is these days. They had the good fortune of not being subjected to tactical marketing.
I was lucky enough, at least in my opinion, to actually hit people with sticks early in my Law Enforcement career and see what worked and what didn’t. During my career, I carried the Koga Stick, PR-24, and several different size ASPS. Each stick had its pros and cons, mostly due to carry issues. I’ve continued to be a fan of the straight stick, a tool that in my honest opinion continues to be misunderstood, underutilized, and overlooked. [Read More…]
When it comes to martial arts, the arguments over which is best never seems to stop. Many people consider their art almost a religion. And like religions, loyalty to beliefs in martial arts can get out of control.
Similar to those who are secure in their spiritual beliefs, people who are secure in their martial beliefs should be able to consider others thoughts, ideas, and perceptions without necessarily accepting them as their own. You may learn something. [Read More…]
Many people use the phrases “edged weapons” and “knife fighting” interchangeably. That is far from correct, or at least it is if you share the same definitions that I do.
Edged Weapons -Any tool that by design or improvisation can slash or penetrate human flesh.
Knife Fighting – Usually culturally inspired and traditionally taught interpersonal combat using fixed blade knives.
Regardless of which one you think of, lets look at the modern edged weapon threat and what you may encounter. [Read More…]
That DVD series has now been officially released and I’d encourage everyone to check it out. My recommendation has nothing to do with you seeing me get my ass handed to me by Val Riazanov in the Dealing with Armed Opponents DVD and everything to do with how effective his techniques are.
Whether you’re well versed in Systema, or you know absolutely nothing about it, you won’t be disappointed in the quality and effectiveness of Val’s teaching. He has a unique way of breaking down each movement into instruction that everyone can understand.
If you haven’t read it yet, take a few minutes to peruse the Dealing with Violent Confrontations article, and send in any questions you might have for Val, we’re still taking them.
I had a great time learning from Val during the filming of this DVD series and am grateful for the opportunity to work with him.
If you’ve been following our articles here at ITS Tactical, you’ve no doubt heard my good friend Jack of The Survival Podcast being mentioned.
I was invited by Jack on Monday, to take part in the filming of the Advanced Ballistic Striking DVD Series that he and his business partner Neil are producing. They flew Systema (Russian Martial Art) expert Val Riazanov in from the UAE to film the DVD’s, and I was asked to assist Val during the weapons disarming portion.
Assisting Val basically meant drawing weapons on him, getting disarmed and thrown to the floor. I’ve trained in Systema before, a few years back when I lived in California, but have never trained with anyone quite like Val.
I learned an incredible amount of information in just the few hours I spent with him Monday, and would like to take this opportunity to share some of that knowledge. I’m also going to heavily note the incredible Podcast that Jack put together that prompted me to write this article of the same headline.
I’d like to encourage every one of you to get over and listen to Jack’s Podcast from yesterday. I feel this is one of his best and most applicable podcast’s to what we do here at ITS. [Read More…]
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